Janice Robertson

Step 1: What’s It Costing You?

The first step is to take a piece of paper and write down what it is costing you to avoid doing the task at hand.  How does it make you feel?  How does it affect you or others?  How important is it for you to complete this task?   Often people feel guilty, stressed and dissatisfied with themselves for being unproductive and this guilt and stress you feel about avoiding the task can far outweigh any fears or concerns you have about doing it.  

Step 2: How will you Feel Once It’s Done?

It’s important here to really get a sense of how you will feel once the task is actually done.  Sit for a while and really imagine that you have successfully completed your task. How great is that!   What will it GIVE you to complete the job?  How will you benefit?  How will other people benefit?  How will you feel?  The trick here is to find some very compelling reasons why you should do the task at hand.  

Step 3: Find a Motivation Buddy

One way of helping you to make a start is to find yourself a buddy who you can pair up with and who can help to motivate you into taking action. For example: you may be procrastinating about going to the gym three times a week, however, if you’ve promised your buddy that you’ll meet them at the gym the chances are that you are more likely to go.  This is also a good way to hold yourself accountable for doing what you say you will.  Make it fun and help each other.  You may also want to consider hiring your own life coach who will help you to stay motivated and on track with your goals.

Step 4: Break The Task Down Into Baby Steps

Sometimes the seeming enormity of the task can make us put off even starting.  The trick here is to break it down into small baby steps and keep taking consistent action.  For example: you may be procrastinating about tidying a room in which case set a timer for 5 minutes and keep at it until the timer goes off.  Have a quick break and then set the timer for another five minutes.   Before long you will have completed your task.

Step: 5 Reward Yourself on Completion

Don’t miss out this step!   Promise yourself a reward for completing the task at hand.  Take time out to really celebrate your achievement. Choose something that will really make you happy.  You could reward yourself by buying yourself something new to wear, take yourself out to dinner to your favourite restaurant, have a massage or beauty treatment. Rewarding yourself in this way will be a strong positive reinforcement to help you to overcome procrastination.

Authors Note: It is fairly normal for people to procrastinate however if you feel that this is a severe or chronic problem for you it may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder and my advice would be to seek professional help.



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Author Janice Robertson is a Certified Professional Life Coach and Licensed Career Coach.  Sign up for her free Newsletter at www.designyourlife.uk.com and receive your FREE e-course: "5 Secrets For A Successful Career Transition".